Question

Que: Researcher Anne Case from Princeton University wrote of “Deaths of Despair”. In the research she combines the suicide epidemic and the opioid epidemic: “When looking at the suicide and death rates of middle-aged whites, the authors wrote: “It is also a crisis in which people are killing themselves in much larger numbers - especially whites. Deaths from alcohol have been rising as well. So we think of it all being signs that something is really wrong and whatever it is that's really wrong it's happening nationwide… They don't have a good job. They don't have a marriage that supports them. They may have children that they do or don't see. They have a much more fragile existence than they would have had a generation ago ... it may be the deaths from drugs, from suicide, from alcohol are related to the fact that people don't have the stability and a hope for the future that they might have had in the past.”

For this question, you are to become Durkheim and explain why we see each of these results. Remember to focus on the idea of social bonds. Which of Durkheim’s 4 types of suicide is represented by this data? Explain your choices.

(Answer need to be in Soft copy Only)

Answer 1

Egoistic, fatalistic, Anomic and Altruistic are the four types of suicides proposed by Emile Durkheim and the four types of suicides refer to different people and causes. Egoistic suicide is when people feel loneliness and do not have any particular role to play in the society. This normally happens to the elderly after their retirement. People who are oppressed by the society normally go with fatalistic suicide and anomic suicide is committed by people who do not have any purpose in living and those who do not have enough support in life. Finally, when people commit themselves to the greater cause, it’s considered as altruistic suicide such as in wars, suicide bombs and ritual sacrifices.

I could find anomic suicide as the youngsters lose their motivation and purpose in living a fruitful life. They also do not have any additional support in terms of guidance and counseling in order to improve their lives and to come out of their addictions. They are not able to cope with the expectations of the society thus committing suicide to escape from reality.